TSP funds at the close

Every TSP fund finished Wednesday higher. The G Fund barely moved, as usual, and the stock funds did the real work.

The S Fund led at $103.1255, up 1.36% on the day. That is the only TSP fund over the 1% mark. Its 5-day gain is 1.55%, so most of the week's progress came in a short stretch. The S Fund follows the Dow Jones U.S. Completion index, which holds mid-sized and smaller U.S. companies. Those stocks tend to swing harder than the big names in the S&P 500.

The C Fund rose 0.68% to $110.1063, matching the S&P 500's 0.68% gain in the data below. It is up 18.75% year to date.

The I Fund gained 0.81% to $54.5629 and is up 30.13% year to date, still the best performer of the individual funds. Its 5-day gain is 1.06%. It tracks MSCI ACWI ex-US ex-China, and international stocks had a good day, as VXUS shows below.

The F Fund added 0.29% to $20.8489. It follows the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index, and its move sits right beside BND's 0.30%. Its 5-day figure is still slightly negative at -0.26%.

The G Fund ticked up 0.01% to $19.5409. It pays a Treasury-based rate and does not swing with the market.

L Funds

The L Funds are blends of the five core funds, so their results follow how much stock each one holds.

  • L 2055 through L 2075 gained 0.81%, the same as the I Fund. These hold the most stock.
  • L 2050 rose 0.69%, L 2045 0.65%, and L 2040 0.60%.
  • L 2035 and L 2030 gained 0.56% and 0.49%.
  • L Income, the most conservative, rose 0.24%.

The pattern is simple. The more stock in the mix, the bigger the move on a day like this.

What moved the IRA index funds and ETFs

One caution first. The index and ETF figures below are labeled as the prior session's close, while the TSP numbers are for Dec. 10. Treat the comparison as a rough guide, not an exact match.

The S&P 500 closed at 6,886.68, up 0.68%. The Dow did better, rising 1.05% to 48,057.75. The Nasdaq Composite lagged at 23,654.15, up 0.33%.

VTI, the total U.S. market ETF, gained 0.74% to $338.73. VXUS, the total international ETF, rose 1.08% to $75.93, ahead of its U.S. counterpart. Both the Dow and VXUS cleared 1%.

BND, the total bond ETF, added 0.30% to $74.26. The 10-year Treasury yield slipped 0.53% to 4.164. Yields and bond prices move in opposite directions, so a lower yield fits with a small gain for bond funds.

The data here does not say why stocks rose, so I won't guess at a cause.

What it means for your plan

A broad gain like this feels good, but it is one day. The S Fund's 1.36% jump is the kind of move that can reverse just as quickly, and the same goes for any single-session drop. Your long-term plan rests on your contributions, your mix of funds, and years of staying with it, not on one Wednesday.

If your allocation still fits your timeline and your comfort with risk, today gave you no reason to change it. This recap is general information, not advice tailored to your situation.